November 20, 1998

Re-Creating the Galvanizing Tale of a Fugitive Slave

By PETER MONAGHAN

Investigations by Steven Weisenburger reveal an 'alternate, parallel story' to the one told by Toni Morrison in 'Beloved'

When a runaway slave, Margaret Garner, slashed her own daughter's throat rather than see her returned to a life in bondage, citizens of Cincinnati and across the country argued furiously about the significance of the deed in the contentious debate over slavery.

The year was 1856. On

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